Begin Again
by baobhansith23
Summary: Modern AU: Their eyes met. It had begun. They had begun. Katniss Everdeen follows her dreams in the city that never sleeps and finds herself falling in love with the wrong person along the way.
1. One

Begin Again

Chapter One - First Day of My Life

The day started off like any other. Years from now, she would look back to this day and know that it was the day that changed everything. It was the day that changed her. Her life had been simple, easy, relaxed even but nothing could prepare her for the upcoming journey. In time, she would analyze everything that happened that night, even the things she didn't understand or believe at the time. That night changed everything about her.

"I don't know why they give us such small closets. I can barely fit anything in here." Johanna Mason moaned as she moved around a few dresses and skirts inside the small closet. In her defense, it was small but any other average college sophomore could fit their entire wardrobe in just fine. It was Johanna that had designer clothing that could fill up hundreds of small college closets.

"Maybe you could bring less clothes." Katniss Everdeen muttered from under her pillow across from the groaning blonde. She kept her eyes closed but she could hear her roommate's laughter fill up the air.

"As if I could do such a thing."

Moving the pillow off of her face, Katniss turned toward Johanna's side of the room and sighed. Boxes were piled up all over the floor and around her bed. They had started classes almost a full week ago and Johanna was still unpacking. Katniss had unpacked everything the day she moved in, not that she had as much as her roommate did. Compared to Johanna's side of the room, Katniss had her side organized, neat and bare, except for a few photos of her sister and step-father glued to her side of the wall. Johanna had millions of pictures up already and a few posters of musicians Katniss hadn't even heard of.

They were as different as night and day but living together worked for them. Last year had been a bit rough. Katniss with her closed off self and Johanna with her brash, outgoing personality hadn't meshed well at first but soon they did.

Katniss closed her eyes for a brief moment. She would have to get up for class soon but she didn't feel like it. She had no idea why she didn't try harder to get Friday classes off.

"Brainless, get your ass up!"

Opening her eyes once more, she watched as Johanna applied a layer of lip-gloss on at the small vanity she turned her desk into. Johanna was a social butterfly, without even trying. Her father was a member of the Senate down in Washington D.C. and although Katniss hadn't heard of her family before, a lot of people apparently had. Johanna never really talked about her parents other than that they were absent for most of her life, dealing with their own dreams and desires. Katniss felt a bit sorry when she found out about Johanna's not so picture perfect family.

Johanna had this carefree way about her. The only thing on her mind was getting into a good law school after their four years at NYU and boys. Well, boys might come before law school. Katniss couldn't figure out for the life of her how Johanna had time for her social life, boys, internships and school. She spent more time going to fancy parties than anything else, often saying, 'image is everything'. It was really amazing that she found time to attend the smallest campus committee meetings supporting women's rights to only attend raves in Queens hours later.

Johanna Mason was something else and although she sometimes caused Katniss to lose her mind, she was like family.

"I'm hooking up with someone tonight. I can feel it. Plus, this week has been brutal."

With that, Katniss stood up and walked out of the room with her pillow in hand. It was only eight in the morning and already Johanna was talking about going out. It was only the first week of school but the confident brunette was more than willing to admit she was ready to party. Katniss didn't have time to party. She was going to NYU only on scholarship, she couldn't afford to party as much as her roommate did. She may be attending school in the city of dreams but she wasn't going to act on any of them until she walked across a stage with a diploma in hand.

Johanna didn't even seem to notice as Katniss left their room and walked right across the hallway. Katniss didn't bother knocking as she quickly opened the door and saw the familiar blonde lounging across her bed.

Katniss put a pout on her face as she walked slowly toward the bed. Madge Undersee smirked as she moved over and let Katniss lay down next to her.

"Ever heard of knocking?"

Katniss glared at Madge's roommate, Glimmer Evans. The girl was a downright bitch. The blonde vixen was on just about every male's speed dial at NYU, and probably the rest of New York.

Katniss ignored the words of Madge's roommate as she rolled her eyes before turning her attention toward the blonde next to her. "Jo is slightly narcotic this morning."

"At least you don't live with Satan's spawn." Madge muttered as she glared at Glimmer.

"I can hear you, you know." Glimmer said as she glared at the town of them. Katniss turned and narrowed her eyes at the blonde. Glimmer's side of the room was just as vibrant as her name. The bedspread was pink, the pillows were pink, everything was pink. Katniss hated the color almost as much as she hated Glimmer.

"I didn't say it for myself." Madge muttered as she watched her roommate stand up and start gathering her things.

"You're just jealous." Glimmer sneered. "I would be too if I looked like you."

"Yeah that's what I am, so jealous of my walking STD of a roommate." Madge almost laughed. "Try again." Glimmer stormed out of their room, slamming the door as she went.

"She's a royal treat." Katniss said with a curt laugh.

"More like a royal pain in my ass. Housing says I can't move out either. 'They barely have enough rooms this year' or something."

"I'm sorry." Katniss said sincerely as she gave the blonde a tight smile. "Here I am complaining about my normal, slightly slutty, roommate when you have the roommate from Hell."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Kat."

Katniss smiled at her friend. Madge Undersee had been her friend since they were no older than five. They lived next door to each other in their small town in Ohio. Everyone thought they were sisters based on how seldom they were apart. When they were fifteen they made a promise to never leave each other like other members of their family had done to them. On a band trip to the big apple in eleventh grade was when they both fell in love with NYU. It was exactly then that they decided to both go to the school. Though Madge's father paid for her college while Katniss worked hard for every scholarship, they never treated each other differently throughout the process, both proud of each's achievements. They drove to NYU together to start the next journey of their lives. Madge was her best friend. Madge was her family away from home.

"You work tonight?" Madge asked and Katniss closed her eyes as she thought about her stupid job. Last spring she had started waitressing at a small diner off East 9th Street called Sae's. It was a pretty popular place to go and it's cheap decent food brought in a lot of students. Especially when they were drunk on the weekends.

"Nope." Katniss said with a slight chirp in her voice. "I'm off for once."

"Then we can go out!" Madge said sitting up.

"Do you not remember why I came in here to begin with? To get away from that!"

"Come on." Madge whined. "Let's actually act our age, have some fun, get a little drunk, enjoy what this beautiful city has to offer."

"I dunno." Katniss mumbled as she continued to lay on the small twin sized bed.

"I won't drink at all." Madge winced at the look Katniss threw her. "I won't drink as much."

"Liar." Leave it to Madge to drink more than her body could handle. Often muttering that she was in the best city in the world, it didn't matter how much she drank. The last time had been awful, and Katniss wished with all of her to never experience that again.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Madge mumbled as she glanced over at the clock on her nightstand. "We're going to be late."

"Fuck." Katniss jumped up and headed toward her own room. "I'll be five minutes."

"And you call me a liar!"

…

She spent the past year here and she still couldn't get over how beautiful the campus was. How thriving and lively it felt as it sat in the ever-moving city. She took her time walking across campus toward the Weinstein Dining Hall, knowing Madge would be running late, she always did. Walking inside, she grabbed a purple tray and started to fill it up. Once her tray was full, she handed her student ID to a cashier and then started looking for an empty table. Once she spotted one in the back, she walked slowly toward it. She pulled out her earphones and wrapped them around her iPhone before she set it down next to her and started to eat.

"You could have waited for me." Madge nearly shouted as she sat across from her.

Katniss grinned before lifting her hummus sub toward her mouth. She took a full bite and spoke with her mouth full. "You're late, I'm hungry. Not waiting."

"Whatever." Madge rolled her eyes as she bit into her apple. "You have no idea how beautiful my calc professor is."

"You've told me this already."

"Ugh." Madge took another bite of her apple. "He's so fucking beautiful. I would do bad things to him for an extremely long amount of time."

"See, that's crossing the 'things I don't need to know, ever' line."

"Don't be such a prude, Kat. It's okay to lust after someone."

"Who are we lusting after?" Johanna questioned as she took a seat, coming from what appeared to be thin air.

Katniss present the home button of her iPhone, watching it light up the screen to display the time. "Don't you have class? Like - right now?"

"Like I need to attend American History 101, plus it's syllabus week." Johanna answered, reaching over to take a chip from Katniss's tray. Katniss narrowed her eyes but not at the action of stealing food. Johanna was the closest thing to perfect. It was like she woke up out of bed more flawless than the day before. Her hair was cut just above her shoulders. The red tank-top and high-waisted shorts looked model worthy on her skin. The girl had brains and a perfect body. Go figure.

"What's going to be your excuse next week?" Madge snickered.

Katniss rolled her eyes but Johanna smirked widely. "Like I always say-."

"Image is everything." Katniss and Madge both muttered as they smiled widely at the brunette.

"Now, who were you two talking about again?"

"My super-hot, super-unattainable calculus professor."

"Those exist?"

Katniss laughed as she shoved a chip into her mouth. "I'm with Jo there. Sorry, Madge."

"Whatever. If you guys had class with Professor Crane-."

"Professor Crane as in Seneca Crane?" Johanna chirped and watched as Madge nodded. "I didn't know he taught calculus!"

Madge smirked in triumph. "See! I told you he was hot."

"Definitely hot." Johanna said with a smirk. "He's a pretty good kisser too." Madge and Katniss both stopped eating as they stared at the blonde. "What?"

"I think I hate you more than I did a few minutes ago."

"Oh shush. It was the end of last year. I was downtown at some party-." She ignored the dramatic huff's of her friend's as she continued. "And we were both drunk and then well, you know."

"You know?" Madge reached over to lightly punch Johanna in the arm. "Spill and I mean everything."

"Haven't you ever heard of don't kiss and tell?" She was rewarded with a few grunts and a few light punches in the arm once again. Her two best friend's weren't the happiest pair in the world. "Okay, okay. He was pretty good with his mouth." She smirked. "And his hands."

"And I'm done eating." Katniss muttered as she pushed at her tray.

"I really want to murder you ri-."

"Babe, there you are."

Katniss shifted her eyes as Johanna's best friend took a seat next to her. He tossed his arm effortlessly around her shoulder's and pulled her fully against him. Katniss couldn't stand the guy. Just like Johanna, he was from Maryland. They grew up together and always had that 'we're friends but we could be more if we actually tried' relationship. Though he was the slightly sluttier, male version of Johanna, if that was even possible. He was completely oblivious to the brunette's feelings for him, which to everyone else were quite noticeable. Johanna however pretended that she didn't cry over a guy, let alone him. Though the girl had her fair share of boys, there wasn't anyone she looked at the way she looked at Jude Marvel.

"Marvel, hey." Johanna almost stuttered as she faced her friend, calling him by his last name was something everyone did. Though Johanna had her fair share of calling him by his full name.

"Ladies." Marvel nodded in Madge's and Katniss's direction. "Coming to my party tonight? Everyone will be there." Katniss wanted to punch him in the face.

"Yep! We will be there."

"Awesome." Marvel said as he reached over and kissed Johanna on the cheek. "I'll see you then." He excused himself in the polite asshole manner of his and walked away, leaving Johanna to stare after him.

"Might wanna close your mouth there, _babe_." Madge smirked and was rewarded with a punch in the arm.

…

Peeta Mellark stood before Central Park and took in a long breath of fresh air. After a week of classes, he was enjoying the stillness he felt in the safe haven he had found. Things here were so different from what he was used too. The city life, the fast-motion of the city that never slept. It was all so overwhelming to him but he enjoyed every second of it. The school was so big and the streets had confused him at first but he was getting used to it. He took another glance at the tranquility of the park before he headed on his way toward his dorm.

He had spent the last eighteen years of his life in his small town of Jamestown, New York. He worked day in and day out at his family's bakery, well if you could call it that. His mother had sold out that bakery years ago, he had refused to leave it though. He watched as the famous, _Mellark & Son _sign changed to_, Jamestown's Local Bakery. _

It had stung but he didn't let it bring him down, he couldn't afford to sweat the small stuff, especially after taking a year off of college to make enough money to even attend his dream of going to NYU.

As a child, he often rode a train into the city with his father. He had such vivid memories of his father smiling down at him before lifting him up onto his shoulder's as they walked through the streets his father grew up in. His father would chuckle as he pulled his hair to point out buildings or statue's before telling him random facts about the things he had pointed out.

Those were some of his favorite memories. Those were the moments he loved sharing with his father, just the two of them with a city full of wonder around them.

He knew at the young age of seven, that this city was the city where everything would happen to him. He would fall in love here, make something of himself, create art. It was the city that never slept and he was so honored to finally be apart of it.

He breathed in the fresh air once more because he shoved his hands into his jeans and began his trek back toward his dorm. He had met his roommate only a week prior, but he was happy with the random roommate he was given. Finnick Odair was something else entirely.

The boy was born and raised in Manhattan but he didn't let it get to his head. Sure, he dressed in weird pastel colored clothes and was a well-known member of NYU's rowing team, but he was also sincerely humble and even gracious.

The two bonded over random things like bands and they even found a small diner together that Finnick never went to before. He was a great roommate and he was an even greater friend.

Peeta found his way toward his dorm and smiled at the security guard at the front desk before he made his way toward the elevator. He rode up to the fifteenth floor and quickly made his way toward his room. He found his ped and quickly scanned it to the door, unlocking it.

He closed the door behind him and walked over to the small futon they had bought to put under Finnick's lofted bed. Finnick had insisted to pay for it himself, but Peeta argued. Eventually, they both paid an even half.

Finnick was in what seemed a very intense game of NBA Live but he managed to nod at Peeta's presence. "Class?"

Peeta focused on the screen as he spoke. "It was pretty good. We're starting with nude models next week."

That made Finnick pause the game. "I fuckin' hate you right now." He tossed the controller as he ran a finger through his bronze hair. "Are you telling me that if I major in art, I can draw naked ladies all day long?"

"Pretty much."

"Fuckin'. Hate. You." Finnick muttered out as he reached for the controller to finish his game.

Peeta shook his head before reaching in for a scrap of paper from his bad. Without a second thought, he began to fold the paper in his lap. His mind fell blank as his fingers worked without much thought. His father had showed him how to make these when they would work together in the bakery. On most days, he would have it sitting on his nightstand when he would wake up in the morning. When it was finished, he glanced at the perfectly crafted bird in his hands.

"You made that?" Finnick asked, briefly tearing his eyes from the screen.

"Shut up."

"For the, 'girl on fire' you were tellin' me about?" Finnick questioned with a slight smirk.

"Shut up." He shook his head as he repeated the words to his roommate. His mind instantly going back to when he first saw her. He was walking out of the art building and trying to find the nearest dining hall. He was still getting mixed up with buildings on campus, so it took him awhile to figure out he was going in the wrong direction.

He began to turn around when he heard a soft angelic laughter come into his ears. He turned his head without a second thought and looked for the source. He turned his head back and forth until he heard it again, and there she was.

It was like a moment written in a book or a moment in a movie when music begins to spring into a highlight of a character's life. Everything faded around him, even the sound of taxi's beeping at one another. He stood in his spot for a second before he continued on his journey, never quite taking his eyes off of her. She had to be the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her dark hair was braided and it hung close to her waist. Her gray eyes were bright and lively as she laughed at the blonde girl next to her.

When she smiled, he was a goner. An absolute, complete goner. Literally. His knees briefly gave out and he found himself dropping all of his books as he steadied himself. He quickly dropped to the ground to pick up his books. People continued to walk around him, kicking and scattering his books in the process. He mentally cursed at himself but then noticed someone holding out the missing Art History book to him.

She stood there, perfect and as vibrant as the colors in his pastel sets, with his book securely in her hands. She smiled softly at him before asking if he was alright. He nodded, not being able to speak as he reached for his book in her outstretched palm. He quickly gripped it and nodded with a mumbled thanks. She smiled that smile again and he found himself about to pass out.

"Right." Finnick mumbled, bringing him back to the present. "Whatever you say, Peety."

"Peety?" Peeta laughed with a slight shake of the head.

"It's a New York thing."

Peeta gave him a strange look but nodded and let out a heavy breath. "I ugh - I don't think I'm going to the party tonight." Peeta glanced down at the origami bird in his hands. He gently lifted up the wings and sighed a bit. Parties just weren't his thing. He went to a few parties back at home but nothing really that exciting. He often felt out-of-place, like a fly on the wall.

"Peeta, come on." Finnick paused the game once more before he stood up and started to gesture toward their dorm room window. "This is like a rite of passage! It'll be fun. I promise you'll have a good time. My friends are a little out there but they're great. Please. I can't let you stay here while I prowl the town, alone."

"Prowl the town?"

"Peet! You're missin' the point!" Finnick once again gestured toward the window before crossing his arms tightly across his chest. "We're in a city of over eight million people. Think of all of the women to be seen!"

"So this is what it's all about?" Peeta teased. "Getting girls?"

"Of course it's about getting girls!" Finnick said, throwing up his hands. "Loads of them. We're in college. We're supposed to get a little drunk and a little stupid."

"Fine." Peeta gave in. "I'll go."

Finnick smiled widely. "I could kiss you right now."

Peeta shook his head and watched as Finnick jumped up slightly before reaching for his iPhone and having his fingers dance across the screen. He was finally moving on with his life. He was finally growing into the person he wanted to be, the person he only hoped his father would be proud of. He was in the city of dreams and hopefully, his would start.

…

Peeta regretted his decision of going out immediately. He stood awkwardly in the corner of the small apartment, well it was bigger than most but the amount of people made the walls of the apartment almost cave in. Finnick was beside him, talking to some girl he claimed was from his biology class. The music was loud and everyone seemed to be trying to talk over it.

"Finn, your arms are to die for."

Peeta rolled his eyes as he tried not to listen. The girl was pretty short with blonde hair and big boobs. Two essentials that seemed just enough for Finnick Odair's attention. He sighed but felt a slightly jab in his arm. He looked at Finnick questionably but he merely nodded in the direction of the blonde before them. "Sorry, what?"

"What are you majoring in?"

"Art Education." Peeta answered with a slight timid smile. His mother hated it but he couldn't think of a better fit.

"I can see the whole tortured artist thing."

Peeta glanced down at his dark jeans and his gray henley. He didn't really see it as much on the outside as he felt it on the inside. He drew things to escape his own thoughts. "Yeah, sure. I'm going to go get something to drink."

Making his way through the crowed of drunken college students, he prayed that he could find the door sooner rather than lather. He did he good deed for the day. He got pizza with Finnick and then went to the stupid party with him. He didn't need to stick around to see Finnick get laid.

Spending the past one and a half at this stupid party was enough. It was awful enough listening to girls throw themselves at Finnick. He didn't need to stay any longer. He had every intention of texting Finnick as he happily left the party but then he heard the musical sound again. The laughter that caused him to grow weak in knees.

His heart started to pound. He looked through the crowd and anxiously glanced at every face until he saw her again. The world stopped spinning, the music grew softy and breathing escaped him. She was laughing at something a brunette girl was saying but all he could focus on was her. She was wearing a pair of denim shorts with a green tank-top. Her hair was down, flowing down his back. Her eyes were bright and gray. His heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest. He never felt like this before, he didn't want this light in his chest to go away

He slowly walked toward the girl that he couldn't stop picturing in his mind. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the small, but still perfect origami bird from earlier. He noticed the girl she was taking to turn and start talking to some guy. He breathed out a sigh of relief. He couldn't help by be drawn to her. He couldn't stop walking toward her.

…

"I can't believe you." Katniss laughed as she shook her head at Johanna. "You literally have no boundaries."

"What can I say? I'm a girl who likes to be fully..explored."

Katniss let out a long crack of laughter as she felt sweat drip down her brow as they continued to weave in and out of the small apartment. "I'm gonna go find Madge." Especially a party like this one. Katniss didn't recognize anyone but half the time she went out, she never did.

Johanna merely shrugged as she turned toward a guy behind them. Katniss was about to start venturing off to find Madge but when she turned her head slightly to the right, she watched a figure move in on her.

It was like someone ripped him out of a Rembrandt painting and into her line of sight. His blonde hair looked like the perfect amount of bed-head and natural curls. He was tall but not too tall. Under the long sleeve gray shirt he was wearing, she imagined a perfect body underneath. And his eyes - his perfect blue eyes were the thing that got to her most. They twinkled brightly and they gleamed against the dark colors of the apartment.

What seemed like hours later, even though it was merely seconds, he was no more than a few feet before her. He held out a small bird and she smiled as she took it into her palm. She looked up and their eyes locked. Her heart was beating rapidly across her chest and she felt like she was on the verge of passing out. He looked so familiar but she couldn't place where she had seen him before because she knew she would remember a face like that.

Suddenly, she was pulled from her small trance as she heard Johanna in her ear.

"What the hell is this, brainless?" Johanna smirked. "What's that?"

"I..Um-I.."

"Um? Use your words, pretty boy." Johanna was fully smirking now as she glanced between her best friend and the boy before them.

Peeta felt his hands shaking as the girl with short brown hair started laughing at him. He should have just left. He should have just let her go and left the stupid apartment. He was stupid. And now he looked like a fucking idiot for just standing there, saying nothing.

"You're as radiant as the sun." Peeta said softly, just enough for the girl with gray eyes to hear. His breathing slowed down as the girl smiled up at him. Everything was falling into slow motion but it only lasted for a moment.

A guy, taller than him, taller than Finnick even, walked up and kissed her hard on the mouth as he stood there, watching. His chest ached at the sight but he couldn't tear his eyes away. He turned his attention to the girl with shorter hair and watched as the laughing, smiling face she had before, quickly vanished into a something else. A look of pity would have been better than the look she gave him.

"Catnip, you have to come see this. Thom is on his twelfth beer and he's singing Celine Dion."

"Charming, as always." Johanna spat out with a quick roll of her eyes.

"Shut up, Mason."

"Fuck you, Hawthorne." Johanna muttered.

Gale rolled his eyes and noticed the guy standing next to Johanna. "Who are you?"

Peeta gulped as he looked around. Why didn't he fucking leave? Why was he still standing here? What good was this doing for him? Absolutely nothing, that's what. There were eight million people in this city and he was this hung up on one girl he didn't even know? What was up with that? "I'm - um - I-…"

"He's with me." Johanna answered quickly as she wrapped her arm around Peeta's waist. Peeta thanked whoever was above him for the quick brunette now wrapped around him. He was beyond embarrassed. He wanted nothing more than to be shocked by something strong enough to make him pass out. He should have taken Finnick up on that drink.

"Okay." Gale muttered as he turned his attention back to Katniss. "Come on, babe."

"I'll be there in a minute."

"Alright, baby." Gale said smugly before leaning in to kiss her again. "I'll be waiting for you. Oh and Marvel is looking for you, Mason. God know's why."

"That's my cue." Johanna muttered, dropping her arm from around Peeta's waist. "It was nice meeting you - bird boy."

Peeta shook his head and felt nerves fill him up entirely with the fact that he was left alone with the girl with gray eyes. He shifted nervously before shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't - I shouldn't have said that."

Katniss remained silent for a few minutes. "It's alright. It was really.. it was really-."

"Don't say anything else." Peeta said shaking his head along with his words. "Really, you don't have to say anything. I'm going to go and you're going to go-." He pointed somewhere behind him. "Somewhere over there and I'm going to go away and try to forget this ever happened." He nodded his head and started to walk away but she stuck her hand out, catching his arm.

Katniss bit her lip and dropped her hand "What's your name?"

He watched as she glanced at the small bird in her palm. "It doesn't matter."

Katniss looked up from the bird and toward the boy - well man, before her. She swallowed. She could hear the screeches of Thom belting out that his heart would go on. "It matters to me."

Peeta glanced around them before bringing a hand roughly through his hair. "Peeta. Peeta Mellark."

Katniss smiled as she nodded her head softly. She stuck out her hand and watched as he hesitated before accepting her hand. A slight bolt went through her and she stared up at him. He was looking at her strangely, as if he felt the exact same thing. "Katniss Everdeen."

Peeta slowly let go of her hand. He watched her and didn't know what to say. He couldn't think of any words out of the hundreds of thousands in the English language. He shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded in her direction. "I'll- I-Um."

"Thank you." She swallowed the knot in her throat. "For the bird." Katniss said as she gestured toward the white object in her palm. "I'll see you around, Peeta Mellark."

He doubted he would ever see her again but he nodded anyway. He watched her turn around and walk away from him. He stood still for a few more minutes before he found his breath and headed out of the apartment and what he thought, out of Katniss Everdeen's life.

If only he knew how wrong he was.

* * *

_Chapter Notes_

**_First off, I own nothing, sadly. _**

_I had no idea I would even be posting this until a few days ago but what can I say! You guys are all great so I hope you enjoy my new story. I'll be focusing mostly on finishing _Cosmic Love_ but I'll try to update this one while I can before that one is finished! I know the Gale/Katniss relationship won't sit right with most of you but I promise there will be more Everlark than anything else. I just like some angst/drama I guess? It will all be worth it in the end, I promise. Unless you're a Katniss/Gale lover._

_I also like to set actors to my stories because it helps me read/write faster. So enjoy and let me know what you think, I love hearing from you all: __Katniss Everdeen - Lily Collins / Peeta Mellark- Josh Hutcherson / Madge Undersee - __Dianna Agron _/ Johanna Mason - Sheane Grimes / _Glimmer Evans - Sasha Pieterse / Finnick Odair - Jonathan Groff / Thomas "Thom" Jones - Dylan O'Brien / Jude Marvel - Taylor Kitsch / Gale Hawthorne - Max Irons / Primrose Everdeen - Chloë Grace Mortez / Annie Cresta - Kaya Scodelario / Delly Cartwright - ______Hayden Panettiere _/ Haymitch Abernathy - Jeffrey Dean Morgan / *Mrs. Everdeen/Abernathy (Daisy Everdeen/Abernathy) - Connie Britton* / *Mr. Mellark (Bannock Mellark) - John Corbett* / Mrs. Mellark (Lavender Mellark) - Michelle Pfeiffer

_*: mentioned only_

_The chapter title comes from a _Bright Eyes_ song. It's super fantastic and I pictured in when I wrote Peeta and Katniss talking for the first time. Especially the lyrics, "Yours is the first face that I saw. I think I was blind before I met you. I don't know where I am, I don't know where I've been but I know where I want to go."_

_NYU was my dream school, sadly I couldn't afford to go but I know the school pretty well. _

_Madge and Katniss's hometown in Ohio is based off of my own :) It will be mentioned/visited in later chapters._

_____Weinstein Dining Hall is a real dining Hall, so I own nothing there. _

_I love imaging Finnick with a New Yorker accent, so hopefully if you hadn't already, you start reading him with one!_

_So, the origami bird, I hope to be a version of a Mockingjay, for this stories sake. I want it to be closely related to the bread scene but again, it's something else entirely. The bird will make it's appearance a handful of times and it, like the bread, will be Katniss's little ray of hope._

_The song Thom is singing is the classic, My Heart Will Go On by _Celine Dion

_I hope you like this idea of mine, let me know what you think on here or my tumblr! **baobhansith23 dot tumblr dot com.**_


	2. Two

**A/N: I have a lovely new beta and friend, everlarkcheesebuns! Thanks so much for everything! **

* * *

Chapter Two - Dream A Little Dream of Me

Katniss suppressed a grin as she felt light kisses go up and down her throat. She sighed, and she tried her best to focus on the textbook laid out before her. "Do your homework."

Gale's hands continued to move up and down her back as he pressed one last kiss to her neck. They had been studying for over two hours now, and he couldn't keep his hands away from her- not that she was surprised. He always preferred to fool around than get any work done. It's just the way he was. Unlike her, he didn't really care about school because he didn't really need to. Gale came from old money, thus not having him need to work for a single thing in his whole life. All Gale Hawthorne claimed to need was her, his frat, and cannoli's from his favorite restaurant in Little Italy.

"Fine." Gale huffed out. "Thirty more minutes, and you're mine, Catnip." Gale said smugly before turning his attention back to his homework. Katniss laughed as she watched him. Running her fingers through his dark hair, she kissed his cheek before turning her attention back to her homework.

It seemed like a lifetime ago she had met him, when it had really only been a little over a year. It took her some time to even get past his over-confident persona, but once she did, she fell in love with him quicker than the weather changes in Ohio. To everyone else, Gale Hawthorne was a huge arrogant jerk; she was an exception. She got to see the real him. His dark brown hair and his gray eyes that almost matched her own made her heart melt.

She remembered the first day he walked up to her at some party downtown; his eyes stayed glued to hers, and he told her that he wasn't leaving without knowing her name. She had rolled her eyes, flipped him off, and marched away; however, he was persistent, and she slowly gave in to his charming smile. He was completely honest from then on about his true intentions. It was four weeks later that they started dating. He wasn't the most perfect boyfriend, but he was something of the sort.

"Who gave you this?" Her eyes grew wide as he leaned over her bed and lifted the white origami bird laying on her nightstand. He pushed on the wings, and she watched his brow crease in concentration.

"Uh - um." Katniss felt her cheeks flush at the thought of Friday night. Nothing like that had ever happened to her before. Especially with someone as beautiful as Johanna standing right next to her. "Madge." Katniss lied easily. Gale was the jealous type. She didn't want him going all crazy searching the blocks of Manhattan for the man who gave it to her. Plus, Gale didn't need to know everything. She wasn't like that, and he wasn't either.

"Is Madge hitting on my girl?"

"Gale Alexander Hawthorne." Katniss said with a small smile as she slapped his arm. "Are you still upset that she dumped that loser you still call a friend?"

"Cato is not a loser." Gale declared with a small smirk.

"Right." Katniss shook her head. "Well, knock it off. Unless you want me to kick your ass again?"

"Catnip." Gale drew out her name as he leaned closer toward her. "You're mine. It's only right that I get jealous. You know you love it, baby."

But she didn't love it. She thought of it as some sort of muzzle or a leash. She wouldn't voice it though because that would lead to something she surely didn't have the patience for. "Let's just finish our homework, alright?" He smiled at her before lifting the bird and tossing it into the trash. She wanted to scream at him but nothing came out. Her eyes stayed glued to it for a few seconds before she turned her attention back toward her homework.

It wasn't much longer before she felt Gale's hands on her again. She smiled as she turned over and stared at him. He kissed her neck before he started a slow trail up the column of her throat until he connected his lips to hers.

"Gross." Johanna exclaimed as she glared at the pair before flopping onto her own bed.

Katniss pushed Gale off of her and sat up quickly. Gale glared at Johanna as she smiled.

"Always a cock-block, Mason." Gale muttered as he let his gray eyes narrow at the intruder. If you ask him, Katniss should have had a single room. Johanna got on his nerves like no other.

"My mission in life is to make your life a living hell, Gale."

"You're such a bi-."

"Will you two please cut it out?" Katniss asked as she laid her body back on her bed, mimicking Johanna's body. Things had always been this way between the two of them. She didn't understand why they didn't get along, but they just never did. It bothered her a lot, and she had separately talked to both of them about it. They had both agreed to give the other a chance, but she had yet to see it happen. She hated the feeling of being torn straight down the middle. Gale was her boyfriend, and Johanna was one of her best friends. She wished that they would just suck it up and try to be nice to another; because she knew them both equally well, she knew that would never happen.

"I'm supposed to meet Cato and the guys for drinks." Gale stated as he started to pack up his books. He leaned over and kissed Katniss softly as he shrugged on his book-bag. "You're mine later, Catnip. I love you."

Katniss smiled tightly as she nodded her head. "See you."

"Be sure to tell Cato to fuck off." Johanna mumbled as she watched Gale reach the door. He flipped her off before slamming the door shut. Before Johanna could smirk, she felt Katniss throw a pencil at her. "What?"

"You promised you would lay off him, Jo."

Johanna reminded herself to not roll her eyes. She let out a breath as she laid fully out on her bed. "I know." She brought a hand to lay across her forehead. "I'm sorry. I'll try, okay? But it's not like you're keeping your end of the deal. I saw the faces you gave Marvel Friday night. You're not trying with him either."

Katniss stared at her roommate for a moment before she answered. "It's different."

"How is that different?" Johanna asked, sitting up to stare at Katniss. She hated getting in disagreements over things like this, but sometimes she couldn't help herself. She cared for Marvel, and she cared for Katniss. So she wasn't fully committed to Marvel, but he was still her friend.

"Because Gale is my boyfriend and Marvel is your..." Katniss shrugged as she sat up fully herself.

"Is my what? I love him, Katniss." Johanna muttered back. "Just because Marvel and I aren't official or all over each other half the time doesn't mean that you and Madge get to be mean to him. He's really honestly trying with you both, and Gale doesn't even try at all. He's still pissed that Madge came to her senses and dumped that two timing asshole he calls a friend."

"You're right." Katniss muttered. " I'll try more with him, but you have to try more with Gale. It's really hard for me when you two fight like that." She might have come off as pathetic, but she didn't care. She was sick and tired of watching what she said around the two of them. They were both a big part of her life, and she hoped they both would be for some time.

"Yeah, yeah." Johanna waved off with a smile. "Sorry for interrupting the booty call. You know the rules. Red rubber band for just kissing. Yellow rubber band for, maybe just kissing, but one of us may or may not be topless and black rubber band for hard core fuc-."

"I get it." Katniss interrupted quickly as she felt her cheeks redden a bit at Johanna's harsh language. "We were just studying."

"That's funny, I don't recall you studying anatomy."

Katniss laughed as she let out a small sigh before standing up from her bed. She stretched and walked over to the trashcan, pulling out the white origami bird. Her back was toward Johanna, and it was a good thing she couldn't see her face at the moment. She smiled at the bird before walking over to her closet. She reached up toward one of the rack's before pulling out an empty shoe box. She opened the lid and carefully placed the bird inside of it before closing it. She placed the box back in her closet, and she went to sit down at her desk.

"Someone needs to inform Glimmer of Jo's rubber band rule." Madge exclaimed as she walked into the room without knocking. She gave a weak smile to Katniss before she threw herself onto Katniss's bed.

Johanna sent a smirk in Katniss's direction. "What can I say? I make excellent rules."

Katniss rolled her eyes as she stared at her best friend from her desk. "What happened?"

"The usual." Madge mumbled. "Glimmer is attacking some poor guy. She gave me no notice. I was minding my own business, studying for pre-calc, and she just waltzed in sucking face with some guy. She didn't even care I was there; she started ripping his clothes off anyway." Madge made a gagging sound before she groaned. "I think I might throw up."

"Just move out." Johanna suggested as she ran a hand through her dark hair. "I would."

"And go where? I can't afford to live off campus yet." Madge sighed. She'd rather live in a cardboard box than spend one more night with Glimmer as a roommate. She shook her head at her thoughts and turned to look at Katniss. "Did you see Finn Friday? I must have missed him." When Katniss shook her head, she turned to Johanna. "You?"

Johanna shook her head. "No, but I'm supposed to grab lunch with him and his roommate tomorrow. Here's hoping he's a looker because I need a new boy-toy."

Katniss shook her head. "I'm surprised he isn't living off campus."

"I'm pretty sure Finn would live anywhere if he didn't have to live with his parents." Madge shrugged before she turned her attention to Johanna. "Also, he said his roommate was pretty shy."

"I love shy boys!" Johanna exclaimed with a slight smirk. "Making them un-shy is probably my favorite hobby." Katniss and Madge couldn't help but let out a small laugh at Johanna's words, even though they rolled their eyes in the process.

"From what Finn's told me, he doesn't really sound like your type Jo."

Johanna only smirked. "Well between your virgin-again lifestyle and Katniss having two boyfriends-."

"Two boyfriends?" Madge quickly interrupted with a head-whip in Katniss's direction.

Before Katniss could defend herself, Johanna quickly jumped in. "Kat, didn't tell you about her sexy bird guy?"

"He's not my sexy bird guy. He's no one." Katniss rushed out as she quickly turned her attention to the closet where the paper bird lay perfectly safe.

"Yeah right. He said you were _radiant_." Johanna added with a smile. "It was actually kinda adorable, and brainless here stood there like an idiot."

"I did no-."

"What did he look like?!" Madge asked impatiently, interrupting Katniss as she turned her attention toward Johanna. Her blue eyes were full of wonder, curiosity, and a bit of envy.

"Sexy." Johanna shrugged as if it were obvious. Katniss felt her face warm up as both of her friends starting going back and forth about the man she met only a few days before. Peeta Mellark. His name tasted like honey on the tip of her tongue. It warmed her in a whole new way. She knew she would've eventually told her best friend about the blue eyed boy she barely knew, but when the words were on her tongue, they stayed there. It wasn't like it was that big of a deal. He was just being nice.

That was all.

…

Peeta brought a rough hand through his hair as he collapsed onto his bed. After his Monday classes two days ago, he had gone out on his own to start searching for a job. He had enough money saved up to last him the year at school, but he wanted to start working again. It was mostly to take his mind off of things and to earn money while doing so. So, he ventured off to the big city, and within a few hours, he found a spot at a small bakery across from his favorite diner, Sae's.

It was as if the building was calling out to him- the small bakery, the older couple who owned it, where it sat downtown between two other buildings covered in dark red brick, _everything_.

It was easy to get back into the swing of the bakery, and although it wasn't like the one he was used to, it was something else entirely. He would even admit that the smell of bread brought back memories of his father that he had forgotten.

But now, his body was aching in all sorts of ways that he had also forgotten. He couldn't sleep. He heard Finnick snoring softly from his bed, and although the noise would annoy most, Peeta liked it. It was a noise to prove that he wasn't alone. It was a noise to prove that there was another person within the small space that was barely bigger than his room at home. It was nice to not feel alone.

He had felt alone for so long.

He hit the home button on his iPhone and watched as the time lit up right before him, illuminating his face. It was a little after midnight, and even though he had class at eight in the morning tomorrow, he got up. He climbed down from his lofted bed, tugged on a gray sweat-shirt and jeans, and left the room.

He wasn't sure where he was going, but he guessed it didn't really matter since his feet were dragging him in a direction he didn't even fully understand. All he knew was that his fingers ached to play the soft keys of a piano in exchange of bread dough.

He wandered into the NYU Department of Music building and wandered throug the halls. He could hear instruments in practice rooms as he climbed up the stairs, and the melodies they carried brought a bright smile toward his face. He wandered toward the top floor and found an empty practice room. He wasn't sure if he would get yelled at or kicked out for playing, but he couldn't help himself.

He sat down and opened the piano to see a perfectly white line of keys. He let his fingers slide across them briefly before he brought both his fingers together to play. He closed his eyes for some time as he played, letting the music overtake him entirely. He smiled as he remembered moments with his father. They had an old piano in front of the bakery, and sometime after they closed up for the night, his father would play for him. He would mostly play for his father, but it was always special when they played together.

When he opened his eyes, he immediately stopped hitting the keys on the piano. His eyes locked with a pair of gray ones, and he was certain his breath actually caught in his throat. He hadn't even heard her come in. She closed the door and leaned against it for a moment before she walked toward him.

"I was- I heard someone playing, and I just had to see for myself." Katniss couldn't believe that she had wandered into Peeta Mellark of all people. His name still felt like a song within her. After packing up for the night, she ventured out of her own practice room only to become completely enamored by the soft melody she had heard in the hallway. Unable to control herself, she walked toward the soothing music. He still hadn't muttered a word, only stared in return. "What were you playing?"

"I ugh - it's this song I used to play with my dad." Peeta managed to stutter out. He felt himself slipping away from reality as he watched her walk away from the door and toward him. This was exactly like a dream he had the other night, only this wasn't a dream. This was real. She was real, and he was real.

"Do you mind?" Katniss asked softly as she gestured toward the spot next to him on the piano bench.

"N-no." His palms were suddenly clammy, and his heart was racing like it had last Friday night.

Katniss smiled at him softly before sitting down next to him. Their bodies were a few inches apart, and she was quite aware of how close they were. The familiar smell of cinnamon rushed into her nose, and she felt herself breathing in softly to memorize the scent. She slowly brought her fingers up to hit the keys, mimicking the song he had quickly ended moments before.

"You play?" Peeta asked softly as he watched her hands glide over the keys magically.

"A bit." Katniss said softly shooting him a timid smile. She reached for another key, but hit the wrong one, causing her face to redden and her heart to quicken. "Not as good as you, though. You play beautifully."

"I-." He wanted to tell her that she looked beautiful, but he wasn't going to embarrass himself again. He sighed and glanced at her. "I- um, thanks. My dad taught me when I was younger. He almost went to Juilliard for piano but well -." He shrugged again. "He was the best though, he used to play whenever he knew I was getting ready for bed. I had a lot of nightmares, but on the nights he played - they seemed to vanish away."

"Yeah? Sounds pretty nice."

Peeta found his hands trembling. "I never told anyone that." His voice came out softly. Mostly in shock at how open he was being, and the fact that she was actually a few feet away from him. He shoved his hands into his lap and stared at her hands as they rested against the piano keys. Her nails were a dark blue color, and even though they were chipped, he thought they looked perfect on her- along with the small scars covering her hands.

He never had this much trouble talking to a girl before. Not that he was all over girls, but he found it easy to talk to just about anyone about anything. But sitting right here, he was at a complete loss. His stomach was in knots as his eyes locked with hers.

"Can we play it again?"

Peeta smiled softly at her timid command and the fact that she had said 'we'. He nodded and brought his fingers back up toward the keys. Then with no trouble or hesitation, he played the song his father played all those years ago. His favorite song. Everything around him faded away, even the girl next to him as he played the song. He reached the second line of the first verse, he heard the soft angelic voice come in along with his playing. He smiled and continued to play as she sang so softly next to him.

He was a complete goner.

Katniss noticed him smiling and although it made her nervous, she kept singing about someone dreaming a little dream of her. It amazed her how completely comfortable she was. She had sung in front of people before, but if it wasn't school related, she rarely did so. Especially in front of Gale. She never sang to him, and if she did, she sang in a goofy accent just to get rid of her nerves. This was so different from that. She was singing for him, and she barely knew him.

Eventually, the song came to a close. She watched as he hit the final chord before stopping completely.

Peeta looked over and smiled at her before finding his voice. "That was - magnificent." His voice was a bit stronger than it had been before, but it was still hoarse.

Katniss shook her head at his words. "No - I didn't even warm up and it's just - no." She felt herself stutter under his stare and forced her eyes into her lap. It wasn't a moment later before she felt his hand reach for hers. A jolt of electricity raced through her like it had Friday night. She quickly looked up at his face.

"I'm being serious." Peeta whispered as he placed her small hand over his heart. "My heart is racing." And it was. He didn't move his hand from hers, and she could feel the scattering beating of the organ beneath her palm. It was beating so fast, and she knew that hers was quick to match, especially right in this moment.

His hand dropped from hers, and after a few seconds, she dropped her hand as well. She was trying to find the right words to say to him, but she was never was good with words. She wanted to say something, but everything failed her or barely felt right as they swam up into her brain. All she could focus on his was eyes glued with hers.

He leaned into her so slowly that she had to realize that her brain wasn't making it up. She wasn't frozen in spot from shock, she was merely frozen because she didn't want to move. She didn't want to turn away from him. The smell of cinnamon was in her nose again and something else she couldn't place. His breath was hitting her face, and she breathed in his scent, his warmth and his overall being before she lowered her head, making him unable to kiss her.

"Peeta..."

Peeta closed his eyes for a moment but nodded. He couldn't help but wish the boy from Friday wasn't anything significant to her, but deep down, he knew it had been her boyfriend. He watched her stand up quickly and head toward the door. He was certain that this was going to be the last time he ever saw her again, especially after trying to kiss a girl who had a boyfriend.

Katniss made it to the door, turning the knob slowly before turning around. The sight of him sitting there alone on the small bench made her insides feel weird. She wanted to tell him that everything would be okay, but she was sure if she did, it would make the situation worse. Her voice came out soft, and she finally found the perfect words to say. "You're father should be very proud of you. You're very good."

She glanced at him for one more minute before she turned and walked away from him once again.

…

"Get your fingers out of there." Peeta huffed as he watched Finnick bend over the mixing bowl. His roommate hadn't heard him or chose not to. He sighed and grabbed the towel from out of his waistband before slapping him on his neck.

"Peet! Jesus Christ!" Finnick yelped as he reached for his neck with a slight pout.

Peeta rolled his eyes. "If you're going to touch anything, wash your hands."

"I did before I came over." Finnick mumbled as he went toward the small metal sink anyway.

Peeta shrugged as he bent over the ball of dough anyway. He tried to tune out his roommate, but it was no luck. He had barely had the job for a week before Finnick Odair decided to come to work with him and 'check out blue collar jobs'. On most days, well probably every other day but today, Peeta would have welcomed the presence of his friend. However, after telling his roommate about his almost kiss with a taken girl, he had rarely been left alone.

"So, have you talked to her?"

Peeta stiffened as his fingers came to an abrupt halt. He wanted to scream, but he merely shrugged, waited a few seconds, and then continued to roll dough.

"Peeta, come on."

Peeta slowly released his hands and turned around to face his roommate. He shoved his hands into the front of his apron. "What is there to talk about? Sorry I humiliated you at a party, or sorry I tried to kiss you even though you have a boyfriend?"

"Second one sounds pretty good." Finnick joked softly as he reached over and placed his finger back into the mixing bowl. He was rewarded with another smack to the head.

Peeta shook his head and was about to turn back around when another thought popped into his head. He glanced at Finnick carefully before he let out a strangled breath. "I don't know what I would even say to her. I probably need to steer in the opposite direction whenever I'm within a fifty mile radius of her." He shrugged his shoulders. "It's whatever, I'm over it."

Finnick let out a laugh as he leaned against the counter himself. "This being the girl you legitly fell over for."

Peeta felt his pulse rise, but he merely stared at the ground before he thought of an answer. His life was in some sort of weird stand-still. "It wasn't because of her. I wasn't watching where I was going."

"If that's what you want to go with." Finnick smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What was her name, anyway?"

Peeta thought about her then. Her perfect heart-shaped lips, her gray eyes, the way the space between her eyes wrinkled gently when she was listening to someone else talk. Everything about her was like a gleam of sunlight. She was so full of color, colors he hadn't seen in what seemed like sometime. He glanced back at an expecting Finnick and shrugged. "Uh-Katniss."

Finnick's eyes grew wide. "Katniss Everdeen?" Peeta nodded. "Shit, Peeta."

Peeta glanced at Finnick in confusion as he matched his movements by crossing his arms over his chest. "What? Do you know her?"

Finnick nodded as he brought a hand to rub his neck. "Yeah, I lived on the same hall as her and Jo last year." He shook his head in disbelief. "She's one of my best friends." He let out another laugh. "I can't believe you're crushing on, Everdeen."

Peeta narrowed his eyes and tightened his arms around himself. "I'm over it." He responded quickly. "Please don't say anything. I'm just - I'm embarrassed as it is." He couldn't believe this. He thought the past two run-in's with Katniss Everdeen were purely coincidental, and maybe they were, but now he knew that he would see more of her; although the thought warmed up his insides, he knew that it shouldn't. He was certain that if he saw more of Katniss Everdeen, her boyfriend had to be within the same distance as well.

"Yeah, man." Finnick nodded his head before he looked hard at the blonde across from him. "I can't say I blame you. Katniss is - something."

He was right about that. Katniss was truly something. "Uh- yeah." He thought about her face being so close to his and he instantly flashed back to her soft velvet voice. He then thought about the man who kissed her last Friday night. "Are you friends with her boyfriend?"

"Hawthorne?" Finnick watched Peeta shrug, obviously showing he didn't know if that was her boyfriend's name. "He's alright. A little headstrong but he's just - he's alright. He really cares about Katniss."

Peeta thought about the two of them. Their similar looks but different ways of reaction. How he strolled up and kissed her, and how she mumbled and looked uncomfortable in a crowded room. They were definitely opposites, but Peeta had no room to judge.

"Maybe if you were here last year, you could have found her first."

Peeta glanced at Finnick and watched as he turned around to not so subtly put his finger back into the mixing bowl. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even bother to yell at him. Maybe if he did find her last year, he would be with her now. The thought caused him to ache in a weird way that wasn't normal. He didn't even know her, and he wasn't sure what would happen when he finally did.

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_Chapter Notes _

_This chapter title & the song Peeta plays for Katniss is Dream a Little Dream of Me but the Mamas and the Papas version._

_I've missed you all! I can't wait to see what you think of this chapter and I hope to hear from you! _


	3. Three

Chapter Three - Hooked On A Feeling

Peeta made it to the fourth floor to the Education Building with seven minutes to spare. He took the time walking to his classroom, willing himself to breathe. He had run the whole way to class. One being that he slept past his alarm and two being that Finnick had an unexpected guest over. That was definitely something else entirely.

Walking into the somewhat small classroom, his eyes flickered to something he had missed last week. The familiar braid struck him in a weird place. Her lips were wrapped around a pen and her foot was tapping weirdly against the carpeted floor, as if she was counting notes to a song.

How had he missed her? She was in the same class as him for an entire week and he hadn't even noticed.

He glanced at the empty first row and the seat right next to her. He didn't think and just did.

"We meet again." He said softly, which despite the one got her entire attention. The pen in her mouth quickly dropped into her lap. He hesitated for a few moments but with a small ounce of courage, he dropped into the empty seat beside her.

"You're in this class?" Katniss asked quickly as she sat up straighter. Her heart started pumping loudly in her chest. This wasn't good. This wasn't okay. She found herself thinking about their almost kiss for the past three days. The way his fingers danced over the piano, the way he smelled, the way he acted. She dreamed of blue eyes and slow dancing.

"Uh- appears so." He spoke hesitantly. His hands were clammy and if his heart wasn't beating rapidly from running to class, it was now.

"Why didn't I see you in here the past two weeks?" Katniss questioned as she thought of the past two weeks. She would have noticed him, wouldn't she of? No, she shouldn't notice him. She had a boyfriend. Girls with boyfriends don't notice other boys. Especially those who fill her dreams or try to kiss her.

"That would be the fact that I am a nerd." Peeta shrugged like it was something she should have already known. "I usually sit in the front row. Learn better and all that."

"Yeah.." Katniss nodded as she tapped her pen onto her small desk. "What's your major?"

"Education." Peeta answered quickly with a neutral expression that soon turned into a smirk. They were both in an education class. "Art education." He watched her nod and in the back of his mind, he noted that her cheeks were flush. "You?"

"Music education."

He thought about her soft voice in the small practice room. Her gray eyes as she sang along to the keys he pressed. Her thigh inches away from him. He had heard people sing before but none of them struck him as much as she had. Her voice was delicate but strong. She was better than good. In-fact he couldn't come up with a word to even describe how she sounded. She was amazing, she took the breath fresh out his lungs. "You'll be wonderful at that." Her cheeks reddened and she looked away as she thanked him. He let out a small breath. "Um, Katniss." He watched her head turn toward him, her lips parted and he gray eyes in wonder. He was certain that if he was standing he would have fallen over again, he wouldn't dare tell that to Finnick. "I wanted to apologize about the other night. It was out of line and I just wanted to say I was sorry. You have a boyfriend and I was just -."

"It's alright." Katniss said, interrupting him. Her cheeks were getting redder. "Really, it's alright."

"It's just.." Peeta mumbled, looking into his lap. "I don't want anything being weird between us. I live with Finnick and he's one of your friends and we're going to be around each other and I don't want that to just - be there making it all awkward." God, he was rambling. "I want us to be friends."

"Friends." Katniss mutter, as if she hadn't ever heard the word before. She nodded her head and Peeta looked up at her. "I'll allow it."

"Yeah?" She nodded and he found himself smiling largely. He was about to add a small comment but the small professor rushed in, clearly out of breath herself.

It was already a few minutes after class should have started and Peeta didn't bother looking over at Katniss again for the rest of the forty-five minute class. If he wanted to make the friend thing with her real, he would have to learn not to stare at her every five seconds. It was a more difficult task than he thought, since he watched her out the corner of his eye for exactly thirty-seven minutes. He watched as she nodded along to the professor even though her head was slowly bent into her lap as she wrote everything done. How her handwriting was loopy, a kind that was like print that turned into cursive.

He was so drawn into the way she dotted her 'I's that he didn't even notice the professor dismiss class. He shook his head and gathered his own notebooks, shoving them into his messenger bag before standing up.

"Are you done for the day?" Katniss asked as she gathered her own things. Her heart was still beating rapidly but it was a good rapid, well that's what she thought. He wanted to be friends. She could handle being friends with him.

"Uh - no. My next class into for an hour and a half from now, so I usually walk around the park and find something to draw." He willed himself not to blush at his admission. He sounded foolish but he didn't really care.

"Want some company?"

He wanted to scream. "Sure." He smiled and they headed out of the classroom side by side. Neither talked as they made it out of the Education building and toward Central Park.

She would be just fine if he never walked into her life, he was almost positive. Just like he was one hundred percent sure that it wouldn't have mattered if he met her or not. But this was his path to choose and his to choose alone. She was just an extra bonus. He hadn't known he would meet her, or anyone like her for that matter. Things just happen and this was just one of those things.

Before he knew it, they were headed into the park. He heard children laughing, horses galloping and tourists snapping photos. He had grown to know the large park quite well but being with her was like experiencing it all over again. They headed toward Strawberry Fields and quickly took up a bench. He watched her smile softly at the young group of children as they ran by.

"I love it here." Katniss said as she tugged lightly on her braid. Her eyes danced over the vibrance of the park. "Even the tourists." Peeta made a face and she laughed, she found herself smiling at the sound. "What?"

"They are like little mutts." The face he made caused her to laugh and he found himself laughing along with her. His fingers itched to grab his sketchbook and draw her right now in this moment. Her face slightly red, her eyes creased, along with the lines on her face and her beautiful mouth open with that magical sound. He shook his head at his thoughts. If he wanted to be friends with her he would really need to stop describing her as beautiful and magical.

Their laughter died out after a few minutes but sitting with him in silence was nice, peaceful even. She crossed her arms and turned her face toward him. He was wearing dark jeans and a plain white t-shirt. He had placed on black sunglasses seconds before but she knew his blue eyes were shinning underneath. He really was a good-looking guy. No one could blame her for staring at him occasionally right? She cleared her throat. "So you said you were roommates with Finnick?" She watched him nod. "What's that like?"

Peeta rubbed the back of his head and smirked at the thought. "Never boring."

Katniss laughed at that and she found herself wondering when the last time she laughed this much was. "Very true." She tugged on her braid harder as she focused down at her olive colored thighs. "He is a great guy."

"That he is." Peeta answered without a second thought. "What about you? Do you like your roommate?"

Katniss nodded her head quickly before she spoke. "Johanna." She thought about her roommate. "You met her at- ." She paused and shook her head. "She - well, she's never boring either." She snorted and tugged on a hangnail. "She's a great friend but it's pretty intimidating being around who's probably the prettiest in New York."

"I don't know about that." Peeta whispered as he stared at her. Her cheeks grew red again as she stared at him. She only turned when a young child ran by giggling. He cleared his throat. "So, why do you want to be a teacher?"

Katniss looked back at him and wondered why no one had ever asked her that question before. Well they had but not in the way Peeta had. "My step-father, Haymitch got me into music awhile back. It's just been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and it's helped me through some difficult times. I just - I want to be able to help people the way music helped me and what better way than to teach?" She shook her head. "How about you?"

Peeta glanced at her for a second and then down toward his messenger bag. He did the not thinking and only doing thing again, by pulling out his sketchbook. He quickly place it in her hands and watched as she flipped it open. "All the reasons you said basically." He chuckled nervously. "I just want to show young kids that the world doesn't need to end at sixteen." He shrugged and watched nervously as she remained silent, flipping through his sketches.

They were magnificent. As she took in his soft gentle strokes, she gasped to herself. He drew buildings, people, plants. Some were quick sketches, but still better than anything she could have done. She made her way through the sketchbook and handed it to him with a bewildered look. "Is there anything you can't do?"

Peeta shook his head, a smile on his lips. "Stop."

Katniss shook her head. "No way. You're great. Better than great."

"I guess I'll just have to take your word for it." Peeta said with a wide confident smile that he didn't know he could even manage. He glanced down at his watch and almost gasped at the time. How long had they been sitting here? "Wow, it's already almost one." He tucked his sketchbook into his messenger bag. He quickly stood up and watched Katniss do the same. "I guess time files when you're with good company."

"Yes it does." Katniss agreed as she covered her eyes with her hand to look at him, "So I -." She paused. She bit her bottom lip and watched as he smiled at her. It was slightly lopsided but full and genuine. It suited him well.

"Yeah?"

"I was just - um I was just wondering if -."

Peeta watched her cheeks redden. The fact caused him to smirk. "Katniss?"

Katniss lowered her hand and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually this socially incapable." She laughed. "Wait yes I am."

Peeta chuckled at the cute look on her face. "It's alright. Remember the night we met?"

How could she even forget? She thought about it as often as she thought about their almost kiss. The small paper bird sitting safely in her closet caused her to feel something she hadn't realized she could feel. "Um, yes."

"I couldn't even talk to you." Peeta chuckled. "I mean if I knew you had a boyfriend I would have never -."

"Peeta." Katniss cut him off as she placed her hand over her eyes again. "I just wanted to say that everyone was going downtown on Friday to this rundown bar that doesn't check ID's but anyway, I think Finnick said something about going. You - you should come."

"Oh, I mean, yeah. I'll stop by if you want me too." Peeta mumbled, mentally making sure he didn't work at the bakery this Friday.

"Everyone will be there, I would like if you were there." Katniss rushed out, staring at the corners of his sunglasses.

"I'll try my best." Peeta nodded and brought a hand to grasp the band of his messenger bag across his chest. "So I'll hopefully see you then."

"Or you know, in class Thursday." Katniss smiled up at him teasingly.

"Right." Peeta nodded his head, embarrassed. "I'll be seeing you."

"I'll be seeing you."

…

The small crummy bar was packed. Katniss stood at the bar patiently with Madge as they listened to the loud music and waited for their shots. It was already Friday, she couldn't believe how the week had flown by. She smiled as she watched Gale walk toward him from the corner of her eye. He stood tall beside her as he kissed the side of her head and asked for another pitcher.

Gale glanced at them and then toward the bartender. "You haven't got their drinks yet, man?" The skinny bartender practically shook as he quickly made the two shots and refilled the pitcher.

Katniss smiled apologetically as she thanked the man for the shots. She held hers up toward Madge and smiled. "Sips ahoy!" She pushed the dark liquid down her throat and gaged as she placed the small glass back onto the bar.

Gale shook his head at their faces as he nodded toward the table in the back of the bar. "Ladies." He held the pitcher in one hand and reached for Katniss with the other.

Katniss looked back at Madge for a moment before she focused her attention toward their table. Johanna was sitting at the table sulking as Marvel continued his conversation a few tables away with some blonde. Cato was right next to the table, pushing a redhead into the wall with his lips firmly attached to her like living depended on it. Katniss glanced at Madge quickly. "You okay? We can sit somewhere else."

Madge looked away from her ex-boyfriend and nodded. "No, it's alright." Her smile was unconvincing and Katniss pointed it out with a look. "Seriously, it's fine." Madge assured her. She had gotten over Cato during summer. She glanced at the red-head in his arms and rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe she had conjured any feelings for jackass. "Johanna on the other hand looks like she wants to attack someone with an ax."

Katniss laughed and smiled at her friend before she felt herself being pulled into her boyfriend's lap. She leaned into him and placed a small kiss on his neck as he laughed at something his friend Thom had said.

Madge turned her attention away from her friends and toward the ground. She quickly jumped as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist.

"Oh Madgey, I always knew you wanted me." Finnick chuckled as he pushed at Madge's hips, making them move side to side with his. Katniss, who had turned at the slight yelp Madge made, laughed at the pair.

Madge let out a loud laugh as she spun around in her friends arms. "Oh yes, I want you so much right now." Finnick laughed before releasing her and heading toward the booth with the curly blonde.

Gale nodded his head in greeting toward Finnick before turning Katniss in his lap, kissing her hard on the mouth.

"You guys make me sick." Madge muttered as she took a drink out of Johanna's barely empty glass. Katniss turned and gave her an amused expression, she took another drink. "I'm serious. I'm about to hurl here."

"Same." Finnick nodded with a smirk as he patted Madge on the head.

"Well, get over it." Gale said quickly before turning Katniss's head to kiss her again.

She kissed him a few more times before she turned and faced her friends. It was minutes later when her heart started to randomly beat hard against her chest. She smelled fresh cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. She glanced over Finnick's shoulder and saw Peeta approaching them. She felt sick.

She saw him on Thursday in class but they didn't talk that much. She had to go to her shift at Sae's right after class so she couldn't walk with him in the park. He hadn't talked about coming out with everyone but she found herself waiting for him to show up all night. It was about an hour ago when she stopped waiting for him but he never really did what she expected. He surprised her as much as he confused her.

Her heart was beating like a hammer.

She never felt this strangely happy and terrified at the same time. It was weird, all these feelings. She didn't really even know how to explain them. All she knew that Peeta Mellark, she had learned his full name the night before, had walked into her life and he wasn't going anywhere.

Peeta made his way toward Finnick and Katniss but the second he saw Katniss in the lap of her boyfriend's, he quickly looked down. The pain was ripping through him again like it had the first night he talked to her but in that moment, he saw his opportunity. He ignored all the eyes on him as he held out his hand to Johanna. The brunette looked up at him for a few seconds before shrugging and taking it. He walked slowly as he led them to the even smaller dance floor. Despite the eyes on them, he pulled her into him and bent his mouth down toward her ear. "I don't think I've ever been the center of attention for this long before."

Johanna glanced to the side and sure enough, everyone was looking at them. She turned her eyes back toward the blonde who was now holding his hands politely at her waist. "Why are you doing this?"

"You looked kinda miserable." Peeta said softly as they started moving in slow circles, not at all dancing like the couples around them. "Finnick kinda filled me in on the whole Johanna, Marvel thing."

Johanna lowered her eyes. "Finnick should mind his own damn business."

"Well, look at it this way, he hasn't taken his eyes off of you since I brought you over here." Peeta said with a pointed nod of the head toward the boy who was currently glaring at them, ignoring the girl next to him completely.

Johanna smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You don't have to do this."

"I kinda do." Peeta answered with a slight smile, shrugging in response. "You saved me from the most embarrassing moment in my life a few Friday's ago. This is the least I can do for you." Johanna nodded slowly before moving closer toward him.

"Thank you, bird-boy."

Peeta rolled his eyes but smiled. "Are you ever going to let that go?"

"Nope." Johanna answered confidently. They swayed for a minute or so before she spoke again. "Is he still looking?"

Peeta glanced over her head and nodded. "Yep. The girl's gone too."

Johanna took a deep breath and took in his words. She hated how happy she felt at the submission. "I guess your work here is done."

"I didn't do it for him." Peeta mumbled as he continued to twirl them around. "I did it because I was taught that when a girl isn't smiling, to do everything you can to make them smile." He dipped her quickly and brought her back up, grinning at her surprised face. "How am I doing so far?"

Johanna grinned, the first real smile of the night. "Pretty good."

Peeta smiled in return. The song ended but Peeta continued to dance into the next song. He glanced around and noticed Finnick spinning Madge on the dance-floor before placing his hands on her hips and dancing with her like everyone else in the bar was. He shook his head and turned his attention back toward Johanna. He couldn't believe what an idiot that Marvel kid was being.

"I have to say, bird-boy, you sure know how to make a girl feel wanted." Johanna smirked as she glanced up at him.

Peeta blushed at her words but kept smiling as he spun them around once more. "I'm just dancing with a wonderful girl."

Johanna stared at him like he had three heads. "You're quite different, you know."

"How's that?" Peeta asked with interest as they spun around once more. The song changed to a ballad of 'XO' by John Mayer. He found his fingers itching to touch a piano, but continued to hold Johanna.

"You're just so -." Johanna paused as she stared at the blonde before her. "I'm certain everyone in here wants to sleep with you."

Peeta felt his cheeks redden at her words, like most blunt words caused him. He shook his head and continued to dance. "I can't say I wasn't warned about you."

Johanna shrugged, glancing around the small bar and toward the table where her friends sat. Marvel was still staring daggers into her pretty much everyone else. By the way Finnick was moving his hands, she guessed he was filling their small table in about his roommate. She quickly turned her attention toward Peeta, reaching her hands toward his hair and slamming her lips onto his. It was seconds later that she pulled away, leaving him wide-eyed in confusion.

"Johanna -."

"I've never seen Katniss jealous before."

Peeta stared at Johanna in shock. "What?"

Johanna put the same amount of space between them that was there before. She smirked as she continued to sway to the music. "She hasn't taken her eyes off of you since you walked in. I've never seen brainless this jealous before."

"She's not." Peeta blurted out. "We're just -." He glanced behind him and saw her sitting there. Her mouth slightly parted, her eyes narrowed. Her boyfriend was kissing her neck but she wasn't paying him any attention. He turned back toward Johanna and swallowed. "We're just friends."

Johanna only nodded.

…

"Babe, what's wrong?" Gale asked roughly into her ear as he stood beside the small pool table. Katniss was sipping steady drinks from her glass, with narrow eyes and an un-amused expression.

"Nothing. I told you I was fine." Katniss mumbled out. She finished the last of her drink and placed it onto the side of the pool table. She thought back to a few minutes before heading over here with her boyfriend and his friends. Peeta had come back toward the table with Johanna, slightly red and nervous. He introduced himself to everyone and kept trying to get her eye but she wouldn't face him. She didn't know what had come over her but watching him kiss Johanna made her feeling strange.

He stayed for a few drinks but left claiming he had to get a paper done for his Art History class. She hadn't even told him goodbye.

What was wrong with her?

"You've just been acting weird."

"Gee - thanks." Katniss mumbled. She glanced at her boyfriend with a heated expression that quickly died out when she saw the look on his face. She sighed and reached for his cheek. She held it lightly in her palm before brushing some of his dark hair up off his forehead. "I've just had a lot on my mind. Recital juries and all."

Gale nodded in understanding. He reached for her hand and brought it toward his mouth. Kissing it once, twice, and a third for good measure. "You have four months until then. You know you'll do great." He watched her nod with a small smile. He lowered her hand and smiled down at her. "I'm about ready to leave if Marvel continues to whine about Mason. Shit is getting old."

Katniss froze again. She couldn't believe that she was getting so wound up again. It was just a stupid kiss with two of her friends. She shouldn't care. She shouldn't want to shoot an arrow through something.

"I mean, he kinda got what he deserved." Gale continued on, not notching her silent, unexpressive face. "I don't care for Mason but the look on Marvel's face when she kissed Finn's roommate was-."

"Yeah." Katniss interrupted quickly with a nod. "I'm gonna go get a water. Do you want anything?" Gale gave her a strange look before he mumbled that he wanted another beer. She leaned up and kissed the side of his mouth before she headed toward the bar.

"Hey, brainless." Johanna's loud voice filled the air. Katniss turned quickly and watched the brunette sip steadily on her half-full margarita glass.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" Katniss snapped out as she turned her attention toward the bartender. She mumbled out that she needed a beer and water before turning her attention back toward her roommate.

"What's your problem?"

Katniss bit the inside of her mouth. She didn't even know what her own problem was. She just wanted this strange, sunken feeling inside of her to go away. She didn't want to feel like this. She had a wonderful boyfriend and here she was, picking a fit because she was - she didn't even know.

"Is this about Peeta?" Johanna pressed as she moved around her straw. "Because it was just a stupid kiss. He was helping me with Jude an-."

"It's fine." Katniss blurted out as she exchanged money for her drinks quickly. "It's just - fine."

Johanna stared at her before nodding her head. "It's okay to be jealous Katniss."

Katniss stared at Johanna for a long moment. She wasn't jealous. She had nothing to be jealous of. She had a boyfriend. She had - she had a boyfriend. She wasn't jealous because Peeta and Johanna kissed, that would be stupid. That would be totally uncalled for. She wasn't jealous, she just wasn't. "I'm not." She snapped back after clearing her head. She held onto the water bottle and glass of beer before she nodded her head back toward the pool table. "I'm gonna go give this to Gale. I'll see you later."

She didn't bother waiting for a reply. She made her way toward her boyfriend who was laughing loudly at Thom's attempts to even try to sink a ball in. He kissed her when she handed him his drink and placed his arm around her as they watched their friends play.

She wasn't jealous and maybe if she continued to tell herself that, the feeling in her chest would go away.

* * *

_Chapter Notes_

_The chapter title comes from a Blue Swede song. (I just saw Guardians of the Galaxy and this song will NOT leave my head)_

_I'm so blown away by you guys for favorite/commenting/following all three of my stories. It is so utterly fantastic! I can't wait to hear what you guys think about this chapter and if you haven't checked out my other stories, to give them a try! _

_& again, none of this would be possible without everlarkcheesebuns, you are the best. _


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